First Sign of Spring
by Leelover Zai-Zai
Summary: All it took to clear Hyuuga Hizai's doubt was a little springtime, and a pinky promise. NejixTenten with implied HinataxNaruto, much to Neji's dissproval


Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

I suggest listening to 'First Sign of Spring' from Bambi 2 while reading this. After all, that sweet song inspired this fic, as well as reading too much NejiTen.

Also, for anyone who's interested, I just got accepted into the high school I've been shooting for, and I am so excited! Yay!

By the way, this is dedicated to my own dad, who is the best father a girl could want. Love ya Daddy!

* * *

It had been a long, hard winter for Konoha. The snow had buried itself time and time again, iced over, disappeared, and then repeated the cycle without warning. Tenten, being a lover of springtime, naturally disliked the cold winters so barren of life. She dreaded waking up to the cold morning and falling asleep to the sound of sleet and hail. She despised tracking through snow banks up to her waist to execute her missions, or having her husband delayed by a sudden storm. She longed for the birdsong and sakura blossoms. She remembered the long, slow walks down unknown paths, hand in hand with Neji.

Said husband, however, was well suited for the cold winter. Neither the cold temperatures nor the inconvenience of snow bothered him, as he simply ignored them. Therefore, it would probably surprise the reader to know the Hyuuga prodigy also willed spring to hurry. While he enjoyed the cool, pure winter, he loved seeing Tenten's smile when the flowers began to burst into bloom. He had once wished on a shooting star that it might always be spring. He would even endure the exhilarated Lee and Gai-sensei if only to see the look on his lover's face when things around her sang with life.

However, this winter, harsh as it was, had not depressed the weapons mistress as badly as the facts suggested. What reason could be behind the joy that sustained her through her least-favorite season of them all; one would be compelled to ask. Life had blessed Hyuugas Neji and Tenten with a bouncing baby boy: Hyuuga Hizai. His lavender eyes showed much potential to inherit the Byakugan with as much talent as his father before him.

So far, however, the 7-year-old showed none of the normal signs of having the clan's trademark. Hizai was a pure spirit, never having much of an aptitude or desire for fighting. However, he wanted to please his father and soon began training to master the Hyuuga style of fighting: the Jyuuken. Still, no matter how good he was, (though he was rather ill adept to the Gentle Fist without his bloodline limit) the Byakugan would not come.

When spring had finally arrived, Neji decided that upon returning from another ANBU mission, it was time he spent time with his son, who idolized him like the mighty immortal he once considered himself and for whom he had only love and pride. Due to the hectic schedule of an elite jounin, he had been away for long periods of time. During the days when he was home, he could only meet Hizai before or after he went to the Academy. Therefore, when the suggestion came up over training, Hizai glowed with excitement.

They went first to the spot that Hizai enjoyed the most; the training grounds once used by his parents to spar. He himself sometimes used it for training, but mostly it reminded him that even his parents had started from somewhere. Neji hoisted his son proudly onto a large flat rock, the same place where he had proposed to the kunoichi that had unlocked his cage, and showed his son the water, which was rising quickly with the winter snow leaking into it.

"We won't flood, will we Tou-san?" Hizai asked with genuine concern. "Hamaki-nee-chan hates water." Neji's mind pictured Hamaki, daughter to the current Hokage and Hyuu-

No, he reminded himself painfully.

Not Hyuuga.

Uzumaki.

Uzumaki Hinata.

"No, it won't flood. But the blossoms this year will have plenty of nourishment to grow. As will the rising shinobi." While Neji was acutely aware his son detested fighting, he had noticed Hizai's precise chakra control and quick mind. He had a healer's talent, which made the prodigy as proud as any father could ever be.

"Oh," With an awed reverence, Hizai bent down to touch the rushing waters. Unfortunately, his weight shift was enough to send him over the edge, splashing into the water and yelping when the cold struck his skin like senbon. Neji acted quickly and grabbed his son out by his collar, hoisting him back up on the rock. Hizai just sat there for a moment, shaking in his father's protective hold. Finally, however, the brunette looked up at his father and smiled sheepishly.

"Gomen Tou-san," he apologized, ringing his already-lengthy hair as he stood. Neji's concerned gaze kept on his son for a moment, but soon he let out a hint of a smile and led him off to dry in the sun.

-------------------

"Well, if it isn't Hyuuga," Hizai, waiting near the Hyuuga estate for his father to return with lunch, was suddenly confronted by a boy perhaps only a few months his elder. He had bright pink hair and dark, black eyes.

"Nice to see you, Samaru-san," Hizai pleasantly greeted the Uchiha brat. The two had an unspoken rivalry, Samaru constantly striving to provoke Hizai and antagonize his embarrassing lack of kekkei genkai, while Hizai was always polite to Samaru's face and trying to catch up and surpass the Sharingan-user behind his back.

"How is your Byakugan doing?" The other boy asked with false sincerity. Hizai's face turned a bright pink with shame as his lavender gaze turned downwards. "Oh, still none? Well, look at this!" Samaru deftly activated his Sharingan and laughed. "Poor, poor Hizai. No wonder your father's abandoned you."

"That's not true, Samaru-san. He's getting lunch for me and Kaa-san." Hizai skillfully hid his worry, wishing with all his heart his father would hurry. Were his parent's indeed ashamed of him? Was he defective, somehow not worthy of the bloodline limit?

"Why, is that you Samaru-kun?" The light, cheery voice behind Hizai caught both boys' attention. Tenten stood there, her hair still up in twin buns after all these years. She was smiling with welcome, seemingly oblivious to the tension between her son and his classmate. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, well I was…"

"Samaru!" A female's voice called from some far off direction, undoubtedly Uchiha Sakura. "Samaru!" The Uchiha boy looked relieved.

"Coming, Kaa-chan!" Faster than a blink of a Sharingan eye, the Uchiha had disappeared. Tenten shot the fleeing boy a look of disapproval, angry that anyone would dare insult her son. She knew of the rivalry between them as well as she knew the one between Neji and Lee, but Tenten also knew it could only make Hizai stronger in the end.

"Hizai-kun," she instructed, "Tell your father I have to go on a mission for Hokage-sama. I should be back tomorrow." She smiled at his look of worry. "I promise I'll be in time for your first day back to the Academy. Pinky swear." Her son's smaller pinky intertwined with Tenten's own, and it was obvious how much parenthood had softened the fighter's temperament, while at the same time it had sharpened her instincts.

"Hai Kaa-san." Tenten wrapped her arms around her son, pulling him close. "Be safe." He told her, reminding her once again that her son had inherited Neji's talent for making a request sound like a command.

"Hai, hai," she laughed, pulling on the ANBU panda mask. Hizai always loved the masks his parent's wore, especially his father's, (the eagle) and dreamed of some day becoming an ANBU himself.

It wasn't long after his mother had left that his father appeared, holding a few containers that smelt delicious. Hizai took half of the load as he told his father the news as he had been instructed. Neji's face fell, even as he looked at his son. The young Hyuuga's usual bright, innocent smile had been replaced by a somber frown.

"Hizai?" His father questioned as the food was set on the table. The Hyuuga youth looked down guiltily.

"Tou-san, will I ever inherit the Byakugan?" Neji sighed as he poured drinks, scolding himself for not seeing this coming.

"I'm not surprised you're late. Your grandfather was a late bloomer, as was I. Many people thought I wasn't going to inherit it when I was your age." Neji inspected his son, his eyes holding a wisdom that had not been there in his genin days. "You will get it before the next snowfall."

"Really?"

"…"

"Tou-san?"

"Pinky promise." The Hyuuga males smiled at each other before clinking their glasses together.

"Pinky promise."

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Okay, supposed to be a fluffy little thing on Neji being a father. I know he may seem OOC, but if you take into consideration all that must have happened, it makes sense…I think. I plan to keep this a one-shot, but if anyone wants me to make it a multi-chapter fic I will. Hope you liked! 


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